On the anniversary of MTV’s first airing, we look back at its golden era. From the early era of cheaply made music videos to multimillion-dollar productions, MTV revolutionised the music industry.
Join Memories to request access to contribute your cherished photos, videos, and stories to MTV Turns 39's memorial with others who loved them.
Join MemoriesMTV launched at midnight on August 1, 1981, with “Video Killed the Radio Star”, which proved to be prophetic; the channel changed the way people consumed music and made an indelible mark in pop culture. The channel was approved to launch on the premise that it would be cheap to run: the record companies will be providing their music videos for fr...
''7, 6, 5, 4... We have main engine start. Ladies and gentlemen, rock & roll. . . ''
Not many black artists were featured on MTV at the start. The music channel argued that they were rejected because they did not fit the “album-oriented rock” theme of MTV. MTV was also noticed as being resistant to featuring new solo artists. That all changed when Michael Jackson performed “Billie Jean” during the Motown’s 25th Anniversary televis...
MTV’s best performing trio was comprised of Michael Jackson, Prince, and Madonna. Madonna’s debut album had a lukewarm reception. However, her second album, “Like A Virgin” shot up in the charts thanks to the provocative music video that was released and played frequently on the channel. Her videos and music paved the way for MTV to shift to the po...
The channel also launched their first awards show, the Video Music Awards (VMAs). It was hosted by Dan Aykroyd and Bette Middler. Madonna performed “Like A Virgin” dressed in a wedding gown and emerging atop a giant wedding cake.
Community Test By 1985, MTV was valued at $667.5 million, and Viacom international paid that amount to Warner Communications and Warner-Amex Cable for the full ownership of the channel. While this deal may have been great news, business-wise, for the audience who saw MTV as a rebel, this move unmasked the channel as a corporate entity and it marked the end of an era for the channel.
Community Test Although the reality show “The Real World” marked the beginning of reality TV, MTV first experimented with a non-music program, “Remote Control”. The game show about TV-related trivia ran from 1987 to 1990 and marked the start of MTV’s foray beyond music.
Community Test The origin of Michael Jackson’s “King of Pop” title is controversial and is still hotly debated by fans. It’s said that his title began in 1991, after Michael Jackson sent a memo to MTV demanding that the video jockeys (VJs) refer him as the King of Pop. It’s believed this was the channel’s way of showing their gratitude for his role in building MTV’s reputation and as a way for them to apologise for the time when they snubbed him and his music. It was also said that the VJs were required to call Michael Jackson the King of Pop in the weeks leading up to the release of his new single, Black or White
Community Test MTV’s demographic continued to be skewed towards the younger generation. This was taken advantage of by businesses and organisations who want to appeal to the younger market. The music channel can be credited as having an influence in the 1992 US presidential elections when then-candidate Bill Clinton appeared in “Choose or Lose: Facing the Future with Bill Clinton”, where he was asked whether he “inhaled” while smoking week during his college days. It is said that the show got young people interested in the elections and that the majority of the youth votes contributed to Bill Clinton’s victory.
Community Test Between 1995 and 2000, MTV slashed its music video airing down to 35%. This meant that the 8 hours a day video blocks were cut down to only 3 hours. In place of the music videos, reality shows dominated the channel. This included the shows “Singled Out”, “The Osbournes”, “Punk’d”, “Pimp My Ride”, and “Jersey Shore”.
The rise of online videos marked MTV’s decline. Their ratings and viewership continued to plummet as young people shifted to digital media. Though 80% of American households still get MTV, not many people are watching. They now prefer the convenience of accessing videos on demand. On its 35th birthday, MTV launched MTV Classic, which they dedica...
Community Test Despite its start as a dedicated music video channel, MTV started playing fewer music videos as the years passed. In 1995, the channel started investing in reality television, starting with “The Real World”. With this shift, music videos were no longer the lifeblood of MTV. On December 5, 2016, MTV removed the last of its music video blocks. The last block, “Music Feed” returned in 2017 for one month, and ended on April 21, 2017.